Boulder County cabs get makeover, technology upgrade

Yellow Cab now zTrip in Boulder, Longmont

A vehicle in the zTrip fleet is pictured by the Hotel Boulderado on 13th Street in Boulder. (zTrip / Courtesy photo)

Boulder County's taxis have undergone a makeover, a name change and a technological upgrade.

As of Tuesday, the fleet of Yellow Cabs in the county are now the zTrip fleet - 60 cars (mostly Scion XDs) that can be hailed via smartphone app like Uber or Lyft but with a few key differences.

The most important, said zTrip Boulder President Bill George, is that you can order a car immediately, schedule one in advance, or walk out to the curb and hop in a waiting vehicle, just like traditional taxis have always operated.

A second difference might be welcomed by weekend and other prime-time revelers: No surge pricing.

The fleet is a retooling of Boulder's Yellow Cab, owned by Illinois-based transportation company Transdev. All operators are professional, licensed drivers who have already undergone state background checks, and the current dispatch system will be integrated with the app - combining the best of ride sharing and traditional taxis.

"It's a brand new fleet, brand new attitude, brand new tools," George said.

The service has been beta tested in Kansas City for the past two years, and will expand to Denver "eventually," George said.

In March, wheelchair-accessible cars will hit the streets.

Advertisement

"This is a real game-changer for the disabled community in the Boulder area," said Jaime Lewis, community liason for Colorado Cross Disability Coalition. "This is the only ride app that has been thoughtful enough to include the disabled in its service offering."

(Both Uber and Lyft are facing numerous lawsuits alleging violation of the American with Disabilities Act by failing to provide wheelchair-accessible vehicles upon request. Traditional taxi companies are required by law to maintain ADA-compliant cars.)

To promote the service in conjunction with the University of Colorado's 140th anniversary, zTrip is offering free rides on Valentine's weekend to the first 140 people who register on the app, via redeemable credits.

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story